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German Pancakes

by Lisa Davis Todd, Catoosa class of ‘79  

”As a little one, I have vivid memories of my mom and her friend, Mena (from Germany, hence the name) standing at our stove, each with an iron skillet and a tub of Crisco, frying up these thin pancakes.

Mena had 4 kids and Mom had 3, so I’m sure the plan was to stuff us and get us out of the house ’til dark. They continuously turned out these crepe-like things that, when poured into the middle of hot Crisco, feathered out in all kinds of beautiful patterns, getting brown and crispy on the edges.”

Here’s the recipe as I fix it now.

1 cup flour

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp salt

6 eggs (fewer eggs if you like them fluffy)

Milk to thin

Mix the above.  Add enough milk to make the batter the consistency of  a melted malt.

Now to cook.  I use a nonstick skillet and smart balance cooking oil (darn that heart health stuff).  Get the oil so hot that when you put a drop of batter in, it sizzles.

Pour about ½ cup batter in and let it flow to the edges of the skillet.  If it is too thick, you might have to give the skillet a little tilt to help it get to the edge. Add more milk to the batter if too thick. It will brown quickly so be prepared to flip it and watch closely. When the other side is lightly brown – usually in spots – flip it out on a plate.

The first one always turns out crappy – no matter what – so it is called “Mom’s pancake” at our house.

I recently found one of Mena’s sons on Facebook. Fritzi says he still makes them for his family just like I do. Although both he and I have dropped the Crisco, he goes even further, he has dropped the sugar, salt and uses only 2 eggs.

Now for the good part.  Slather, yes, I said slather, it with real butter and shake cinnamon and sugar on top.  Roll it up and let it sit for just a minute to let the sugar melt. It always manages to roll down your wrists and get on your clothes – and not wash out – but  ”them’s the breaks, right?” Oh what you sacrifice for a tasty treat.

Fritzi tops his with applesauce and maple syrup so you can see there are endless possibilities.”

Go try the recipe and let us know how you topped yours.

This is a basic crepe recipe that is simple enough for the kids to make yet it sounds impressive — and tastes wonderful.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup  all-purpose flour, 2 eggs, ½ cup milk, ½ cup water, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons  butter, melted

1.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and flour. Add the milk and water gradually. Stir until combined. Add salt and butter. Beat until smooth.

2.  Lightly oil a griddle or frying pan. Heat it over medium high heat.

3.  Pour the batter onto the griddle. I find it easier to use a scoop. You will need about ¼ cup of batter for each crepe.

4.  Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.

5.  Cook for about 2 minutes on the first side. The bottom should be light brown. If you gently shake the skillet by the handle a couple of times while cooking this first side, it will start to slide when ready to turn. Loosen with a spatula, flip the crepe over and cook the other side.

6.  Serve hot with your choice of accompaniments.

TRY THESE

• Strawberries and whipped cream
• Sliced bananas and melted chocolate
• Powdered sugar and different flavor preserves
• Cream Cheese mixed with powdered sugar blueberries
• Cinnamon fried apples
• Maple syrup and butter

Enjoy! Let me know how they went.

Cinnamon toast brings back one of my fondest memories. My grandfather would cut the toast into 3 strips and serve it along with hot chocolate to my brother and I for our “before school” breakfast when we were in the first and second grades.

This was served after he had awakened us by calling “Piggy Back, Piggy Back” and carrying each of us on his back into the kitchen so that our feet wouldn’t have to touch the cold floor.

You might want to try this delightful treat for that special young one in your family.

Cinnamon Toast

Spread a piece of bread with butter or margarine. Don’t be skimpy because it is needed to melt the sugar properly.  Sprinkle with sugar and then cinnamon to taste. Be sure to get enough sugar on it to crystallize when you fix it.

My grandfather used a teaspoon to sprinkle the sugar evenly over the bread and then sprinkled cinnamon from the can. However, if you prefer you can combine the sugar and cinnamon in a shaker to spread it easily together.

Place under broiler in oven or toaster oven until sugar is melted.

Hot Chocolate

Now you can make instant or pour water into the contents of an envelope, but to tell the truth you shouldn’t even call it hot chocolate. I daresay that if you try this recipe, you will never go back. The second terrific thing about the recipe is it is extremely simple.

For each cup of hot chocolate wanted, put in a saucepot 1 teaspoon of cocoa and 2 heaping teaspoons of sugar. Add just enough water to to be able to dissolve the cocoa and sugar. Bring this mixture to a rapid boil. Add 1 cup of milk for each serving you prepared and heat until hot but not boiling. Miniature marshmallows may be added to the top of the cup.

The First bite. “Fantastic,” said my son Jeff.

Spread one side of a sheet of bread with peanut butter. Spread another piece of bread with grape jelly.  

Put bread slices together peanut butter to grape jelly.

Mix French Toast mixture: 1 egg, 1/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon sugar and a dash of cinnamon.

Dip sandwich into mixture. Carefully turn so that both sides absorbs the French Toast mixture.

Be sure to handle the

soaked bread carefully.

It may come apart easily.

Place 1 Tbsp. butter or

margarine in hot skillet.

Fry on one side. Use spatula to turn

Fry on second side until golden brown

Slice in half. May be served with syrup.

May substitute any flavor jam or jelly for  grape.

Although many people say that they don’t eat breakfast, those same people will agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Given that fact, it all comes down to a bunch of silly excuses as to why they skip breakfast.

What makes this meal so important?

After doing without nourishment for 8 to 10 hours, your body needs nutritious food  Individuals eating  breakfast regularly aremore tend to show these positive health habits

• Eat foods with more minerals and vitaminsand food with  less  fat and cholesterol
• Display Increased strength as well as endurance
• Exhibit better productivity and concentration consistently throughout the day
• Maintain desirable weight
• Show low cholesterol and less risk of heart disease
• Children especially show signs of increased  concentration, have problem-solving skills and are more proficient at  hand-eye coordination.

These are the food groups that are vital to this first meal of the day. Include food from at least two of these groups.

• Fruits & vebetables
• Grains
• Dairy
• Proteins

Some tasty choices would include:

• A glass of fruit juice (be sure it is pure juice not a fruit ade), a bananas and yogurt
• Low-calorie mueslix with skimmed milk
• Fresh and raw vegetables mixed with flavored yogurt
• A slice of toast with eggs (boiled or poached))
• A Smoothie with  your favroitte fruit and a dash of yogurt or honey.

If you are sure that you just don’t have the time to fix breakfast, pack a “brown bag” breakfast the night before and eat it on the “go”.  Be sure to prepare tasty and appetizing healthy foods so that you will be less likely to skip the “jump start” to your day.